Child s coasting device



1952 c. BEAUREGARD CHILDS COASTING DEVICE Filed April 11 1951 gpunes ZSZFSEQM ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 8, 1952 UNITED. STATES- PATENT OFFICECHILD'S COASTI NG DEVICE V Charles Beauregard, Providence, R. I.Application April 11, 19:51, Serial No. 220,483

7 Claims. (Cl. 104--69) This invention relates to a child's coastingdevice and is more particularly for the amusement of a child.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a coasting device ofa size which may carry a child and yet is of such a size that it may beset up within a cellar of a dwelling of substantial size for theamusement of the child.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device in which theweight of the child furnishes the motive force for not only moving thecar along a track but also furnishes sufficient energy to charge aspring so that when the child gets out of the car and trips a holdingdevice, the spring will return the car to its starting point.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device in which the carwill be held in its raised position on its track until it is desiredthat the same shall roll forwardly when the child in the car may releasea look so that the car may move forwardly.

Another object of this invention is to lock the car at the end of itsrun with a spring charged or compressed so that the child may get out ofthe car and the car will remain still until the child does alight, afterwhich a latch may be tripped for the return of the car to startingposition.

Another object of this invention is to provide a track which may beeasily folded when the device is not in use.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the device;

Figure 2 is a fragmental, enlarged view showing the manner of holdingthe car in the raised position on the track;

Figure 3 is a fragmental view of the front end of the car andillustrating how the car is held on the track; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the spring which becomes charged forreturning the car to the raised endof the track after the car hascompleted its run on the track.

In proceeding with this invention. a track is provided which may have araised portion intermediate its ends, whch track is raised at one end soas to provide suflicient energy for a car on the track with its occupantto roll down the incline of the track over the raised portion and thenceto the end of the track. However, prior to the time that the car and itsoccupant reach the end of the track, the car is slowed down in itsmovement by engaging a spring which becomes charged by the energy of therolling car and when the car reaches the end of the track, the springbrings the car substantially to a stop and a latch engages the car tohold it in this position. Thereafter, it becomes merely necessary forthe child to alight from the car, trip the latch and the car returns toits starting position by reason of the energy stored in the spring.

With reference to the drawings, the track which is provided is formed inthree sections. The raised section is designated A; the next section isdesignated B; andthe third section is designated C.

The first section comprises spaced members it, upon which a track I l ofmetal is secured which overhangs the inner edge of the members Hi. Thesemembers ID are supported by legs 62 hinged as at is to the member eachof which has a foot I4 to engage a surface l5. To this set of legs I2,there is pivoted as at 11 a set of legs [6 which engage some sort of astop beneath the frame members Ill. A foot I8 is also provided on eachleg l6. At the forward end of the frame I0, there is another set of legs[9 hinged as at 2B and each having a foot 2|. Thus, this section it] maybe supported in elevated position, as shown in Fig- The next section Bcomprises pairs of frame members 22 and 23 hinged together as at 24,which hinge is supported on the horizontal surface l5. This section isprovided with hooks 25 to engage the pin 25 on the section frames Ill soas to hold it in position to this frame section, and it is alsosupported by'a'hook 21 which also serves to connect it to the section A.At the opposite end there is a leg 28 hinged as at 253 to frame members23 and provided with a foot 353.

The section C'provides a pair of members Si and 32hinged as at 33 andelevated at one end by means of a leg 34 hinged as at 35 to the framemembers 2| and provided with feet 36. This section is connected to thesection B by a pivoted hook 31 which engages a pin 38 on the outersurmeans for holding the car which I designate generally 46 at the upperportion of this section A.

This car comprises essentially a platform 41 which is supported uponfour wheels 48 so as to freely roll along the track. The wheels areprovided with beveled flanges 49 which engage the inner edges of thetracks ll so as to guide the car along the tracks, while guardscomprising brackets as with arms extending beneath the tracks areequipped with rollers 52 so that should the car lift from the tracks, itwould be prevented from leaving the tracks by the rollers 52 engagingthe under surface of the tracks I I.

A seat 53 is provided on the car, upon which the child may sit. Pivotedon the rear axle 54 of the car there is an arm 55 which is swungdownwardly by means of a spring-'56 but which may rise upwardly totension the spring .through an are less than ninety degrees. This arm 55is curved upwardly as at 51 and provided with an opening so that thisarmwill engage the upper end 58 of the post 48 and ride up over the postso that its opening will drop over the post by reason of the springpulling it downwardly and thus would hold the car in the position shownin Figure 1. In order to release the car, a lever 59 is pivoted as at 60on a bracket 6| extending downwardly from the platform 41 and isconnected by a rod 62 to the point 63 on the arm 55 so that if the lever59 is moved forwardly, the arm will be raised and the car released. aThe lever 59 is held against a stop 64 by means of spring 65 extendingfrom the lever to a point 66 on the platform 41 and this stop alsoserves to limit downward swinging of the arm 55. It thus becomes onlynecessary for a child sitting on the seat 53 to push the lever forwardlyand the car rolls down the incline of the track.

At the lower end of the track I have provided a cylinder 68 whichcontains a spring 69 connected to a slide to move through a slot II inthe cylinder 68 and extend or load the spring which is tied by means ofa chain 12 and bolt 13 in diiferent positions of adjustment on the framesection C; that is, the wing nut 14 may be taken from the bolt anddifferent links of the chain placed on the bolt to accommodate variousloads in the car.

The car has an abutment extending downwardly from its front end, asshown in Figure v3, with an opening 16 in it surrounded by a metal plate77. This metal plate is so positioned that it will engage the slide 10as the car moves down the track and stretch the spring which also slowsdown the car as it approaches the end of the track. The spring is soselected that .it will stretch sufficiently so that under certainweights of the car, the car will roll to the end of the track and bethere stopped by suitable abutments 18. At the time the car does engagethese .abutments; a latch 19 pivoted as at 80 will pass through theopening 16' and hold the car in this position. This latch is urged byspring 8| against a stop 82 but by reason of its bevel or inclinedsurface 83 will lift as the abutment 15 engages it and permit its hookportion to extend through and over the opposite edge of the opening 16so as to momentum to roll it back to the top of its run' Where the arm55 will lift as it engages the post and drop over the post so as to lockthe car in a position for the child to climb into it again and haveanother ride. I. claim: 1. In a childs coasting device, a track with oneend higher thanthe other, a child-carrying caradapted to travel over thesaid track, locking means between said car and the raised end of thetrack to releasably secure the car at the upper end of the track,resilient means engaged I by the car near the end of the track to retardthe movement of the car and itself become charged when engaged by theloaded car, means to stop the car and hold the same against beingreturned by the resilient means, means to release said holding means tocause the resilient means to return said car when unloaded toward thestarting end of the track.

2. In a childs'coasting device as in claim 1 wherein the resilient meansis sufficiently powerful to cause the car to travel to the raised end ofthe track. 7

3. In a childs coasting device as in claim 2 wherein the locking meanswill engage and hold the car in place when returned to the upper end ofthe track, 7

' 4. In a childs coasting device as in claim 1 wherein the locking meanshas a releasable lever accessible to a child in riding position on saidcar. 5. In a childs coasting device as in claim 1 wherein the lockingmeans has a lever carried by the car to release thecar from being heldin raised position.

.6. In a childs coasting device as in claim 1 wherein the resilientmeans is a spring to become charged. 3 7. In a childs coasting device asin claim 1 wherein the holding means at the lower end of the trackcomprises a latch on the track and a catch carried by the car.

CIIARLES BEAUREGARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

